Enough Already!...

Would someone please come along and take away my "choices" in life so I can know definitively where I stand?

I walked into work this morning and noticed a flyer for a continental breakfast. The flyer touted a muffin, a yogurt, and a beverage, and in order to participate in said breakfast, one would have to make a "donation" of $5. The "choices" of yogurt were vanilla or strawberry, and the "choices" of beverage were juice or coffee. Of course, it's not really a choice of yogurts, it's "you're only getting one of these that has been made available - but you get to decide which one". They've made the decision to only provide you with two options, and that's not much of a choice - especially if you love peach yogurt, as I do. In addition, the definition of donation is a non-required payment, so their "donation" is not really so.

But before you decide this is trivial and petty (which it is), I want you to know that none of this really mattered to me in the context of this particular breakfast because it was for a charity - Harvest for Hunger. But it made me reflect on the larger society we live in; the society that tells us we have the freedom of choice.

We are made to feel happy as long as we have a choice between things, so the powers that be give us pointless choices, while they make the real decisions that affect our lives. Paper or plastic? Dress or skirt? Coffee or tea? These choices matter, of course, but we've been made to be content with these limited choices and made to feel they are really important, while the decisions "War or peace?", "Life or death?", Rich or poor?" are made for us, by others. We happily give up those choices to choose between brands of jeans or strength of coffee.

None of this will seem new to anyone who truly knows me, and indeed, I feel there are few, if any, who will find this new at all, but freedom of choice (within our current society) is an illusion. We happily buy into this illusion, placated by useless things and pointless freedoms and empty ideals - all of which are contradictory in nature - much like the wonderful but flawed constitution that supports them. We have the "freedom" to pursue a vague happiness, toward an empty American dream, but not the choice to smoke marijuana - which, consequntly, makes many people happy. We have freedom from illegal search and seizure, but not the choice to defend yourself from the authorities when they want to illegally search and seize you.

One may argue, "well, the smoke from marijuana causes a contact high, which infringes on others' rights not be drugged". So legalize it within homes. You can smoke all day in your house, but not outdoors. Of course, this still provides a limitation; much like the cigarette smokers who huddle in the cold and rain to enjoy their vice. How do you have a society where one's rights never infringe on anothers'? If smokers are returned their right to smoke any and everywhere, then shouldn't I have the right to knock that cigarette down their throat if they refuse to put it out in my presence? And if that punch draws blood, should they not have the right to draw blood from me? And then it continues to escalate until one of us is dead. Then we're back to Dodge City.

So, the answer is not to have everyone do whatever they want, but to get to a point where everyone can do what they want within reason and without infringement on others. Forcing smokers outside is OK, because second-hand smoke is dangerous and infringes on others' right not to contract cancer. As well, smoking indoors is a fire hazard. The proper way to resolve this has been to let smokers smoke in designated areas - usually outside - or to restrict it to the smoker's home - which I am also in favor of. One should not be barred from doing whatever they want to do on their own property, but they should be restricted on public or others' property if it infringes on others. Despite smokers' objections, I think we've reached the perfect middle ground with smoking: smoke at home or in a designated public area. Now smokers can still smoke, all they want, but I don't have to spend my day passing through rank clouds that stick to my hair and clothes, therefore leaving me other avenues of cancer contraction to explore.

Now, despite my ramblings, this is not about smoking, this is about pure liberty. According to our Constitution here in the United States, you have the freedom of "life" and "liberty", but in reality, this is only as long as you follow the rules and do what the authorities say is "right". Otherwise, you have no freedom-of or right-to anything. Instead, you have the freedom to shop for the limited "choices" you are presented. You have the freedom to work, and the government has the freedom to take 30% of your earnings (more if they're angry at you - see AIG CEO bonuses).

But truthfully, your freedoms, choices, rights, etc. are all an illusion. You only have them within a limited set of circumstances and those that you have, are largely (though not wholly) worthless. We "defeated" communism because the people supposedly didn't have rights and freedoms. What rights and freedoms have they gained? The freedom to own a Fendi purse and a Porsche? Are they worth it? I don't doubt that to many they are, but if those people don't awaken to realize that their freedoms have not truly returned, they may wind up in a middle-class Marie Antoinette position - completely unaware of what is happening around them until it is entirely too late.

In many cases and places, it is already too late. In the U.S. the government can legally tap your phone and read your emails and monitor everything you do now. I'm under no illusions. Truthfully, they've done this ever since they gained the capability, nearly 80 years ago, but they couldn't tell you about it. Now they can tell you they are going to do it, and then do it, and then tell you they are doing it while doing it, and you can do nothing about it. If they don't like that you received a four million dollar bonus, they can just raise the tax on it to 90%. If you are non-violently protesting something you disagree with, they can tear gas you. If you're standing in front of a store waiting for a friend, police can stop you and check your ID - even if you're doing nothing but standing and staring into space.

But, of course, you can always go to the mall.